Analysis Paralysis: Battling the Inevitable

For some entrepreneurs, you get lucky: you stand up in the face of big decisions, you continuously generate new and fresh ideas and every move you make has been positive for your business.

For the majority of business owners, you have all made mistakes that have cost you something significant or been faced with a decision that you were unable to make. Not only is it nerve-wracking to think about, but in some cases, it causes you to hesitate every time you are looking in the eye of another decision that will affect your business.

Analysis paralysis is not only the inability to make a decision, but when you begin to overanalyze a situation or problem so much that you then end up making no decision – this can be detrimental to small businesses.

The question remains: how do you beat analysis paralysis? It’s hard to imagine there is a secret solution to something that comes and goes for many entrepreneurs. It would be nice if there was a magical word to stop you from over-thinking but there just isn’t.

The only way to beat analysis paralysis is to find a method that works for you using several tips to help break down the barriers of analysis paralysis.

How it happens

You probably don’t remember being a child – being fearless; making decisions in the blink of an eye; wandering the world without a care. This state of mind is obviously foolish and naïve in your eyes now, but it makes you wonder if that was truly the way to live?

For example, you may have fearlessly picked out an outfit for the day but your mother drags you to your room only to tell you that red and pink don’t match and you will look silly walking out in public as such. What did you do wrong? You simply grabbed the first thing you saw, after being asked to find something to wear, and put it on.

Analysis paralysis may begin early. Something as simple as making small decisions can put your mind into overdrive. You are trained, as a child, to think about the consequences that follow all of the decisions you make and while it is important to follow these rules in some cases, differentiating each decision can be difficult.

As you make decisions or changes to your business, you handle the consequences that follow. The inevitable battle with analysis paralysis will eventually hit you; usually after you have made a decision that has negatively affected your business or you have simply run out of solutions and things are not going according to plan. Analysis paralysis can come in many forms, including:

Overshooting – you want something to turn out a certain way but your goals may be unrealistic

You constantly want all of the information or possible outcomes and it is simply not feasible

Let’s be honest here: it is impossible to stop thinking. You would like to have most of the answers or results laid out in front of you, so that when it comes time to make a decision, you will know how things will go. You wait and wait or continue to plan but in the end, it prevents you from making a decision. This prevention will ultimately cause more harm than good, causing the outcome to be paralyzed or the decision to be made on its own.

If you’re dealing with analysis paralysis or are looking for more answers, keep reading. The resolutions and tips will be continued in part two.